In New England there is an expression that goes something like, “Start with a button and make a shirt,” meaning to begin with something small and make something larger out of it.

Yesterday I spent the day with my friend Ann, and we worked on several different projects, each of us sharing a new stamp set that the other doesn’t have. We had a great time together as we let the creative juices flow! Does your work table ever start to look like this when you get going on your projects? Wait, don’t tell me – I know the answer to that!

Before I left, Ann had unearthed a long-ago leftover die cut from the Rose Garden Thinlits that she had cut out of a piece of Rich Razzleberry from the Designer Series Paper Stack. She handed it to me with the challenge, “Make something from this.”

So, when I got home I took that “button” and made a whole project around it:

What do you think? Was this a successful “button” transformation? You can just barely see it in this photo, but I also sparkled up the “hello” script with a coat of Clear Wink of Stella.

You can click on any color swatch to see what products Stampin’ Up! offers in those colors.

Did you notice anything different about the card? It is purely papercraft; no stamping at all! And something else; Ann and I had been talking about how neither one of us tend to use Always Artichoke in our cards, so I made a point to use that color in this one. I quite like it along with the other colors in the group, how about you?

Here are all the supplies I used and links directly to more information or easy online ordering. Here’s a tip: I mounted the script “hello” onto three rolled up glue dots; they are narrow enough to stay hidden and provide a modest height for dimension:

While I mentioned in my last post that combining blue with its complementary color, orange, will infuse energy into your project, a monochromatic theme, in the same color family, will be soothing and restful to the eye.

This floral spray is from the new Touches of Texture set and I have used Soft Sky as a background, the new 2016-2018 In Color Dapper Denim as a frame and both colors together water colored with blender pens on Whisper White. Stamping the outline image first with Archival Black waterproof ink makes water coloring easy and smudge proof!

The sentiment is from the new Bunch of Blossoms photopolymer set, and I’ve used the Softly Falling Embossing Folder, Metallic Foil Doilies and Lots of Labels Framelits Dies to make the layered frame for the image, mounted on foam Dimensionals for depth.

Here are the colors that I used with my blender pens to shade the flowers and leaves; click on any color swatch to see other coordinating products that Stampin’ Up! offers:

As you can see, the Softly Falling Embossing Folder doesn’t have to be used only for snow! I think this looks like a softly falling spring rain. What other uses can you think of for this versatile embossing folder?

One of the beauties of the new Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies is that the various flowing shapes can be almost anything – flowers, leaves, sunshine, water, bird nests and so forth. In the case of this piece, I saw a grapevine wreath – one of those rustic rounds formed of dried vines in natural colors.

I also used one of the new Floral Affection Embossing Folders for the subtle flower motif in the background, very lightly sponged with Flirty Flamingo ink on the embossing and edges of the Pink Pirouette panel, and I couldn’t resist highlighting the flowers with Clear Wink of Stella too! The wreath is die cut from Soft Suede card stock with a bit of Gold Metallic Thread interspersed here and there.

The new 2016-2018 In Color Flirty Flamingo card stock is a gorgeous background for the butterflies and sentiment stamped in Soft Suede ink on Sahara Sand card stock. Pear Pizzazz card stock is used for the card base, bringing all of the colors together in a pleasing manner.

This is the first time that I have used this color combination, but I really love it! What color combinations do you particularly love? Leave me a note in the comment section; I’d like to hear your favorites.

I’m happy to be John and Anne’s mother, and so happy that I’ve had my mother, Jean, for 81 years and counting! What makes you happy? This card is meant to bring those thoughts to mind with bright colors, playful shapes and textures, and fanciful lettering.

I did something a little different with the Hello You Thinlits Dies that I used to make the “happy” cutout on this card. I die cut three identical pieces from Melon Mambo card stock, and then I glued them one on top of the other with Multipurpose Liquid Glue. This gave me a thicker piece to work with for strength and dimension, and then to make it pop even more from the front of the card, I picked up a Glue Dot on the end of my Piercing Tool, rolled it around the tip, slipped it off and applied it to the back of the word piece. I did this in five places all along the back and then attached the whole word to the card.

This was a perfect solution because the rolled up Glue Dots were small enough to stay hidden, but they were super sticky to hold things in place, and they added a little extra height as well. Can you see that I also gave it a swash of Clear Wink of Stella for a little sparkle?

Here is the color palette that I used on this card; I think it’s a fantastic combination, how about you? Click on any color swatch to see other products that we have in those colors too:

Here are all the supplies that I used to make the Just Be Happy card, and here’s a happy thought – all of them are available now, but will still be available in the new annual catalog that’s coming out on June 1st! Click on any picture to go right to the online store to read more or to order:

Every year at this time Stampin’ Up! releases the “Retirement List,” those stamps, tools and accessories from the Spring Occasions and regular Catalogs that will not be returning in the new 2016-2017 Annual Catalog, coming June 1st.

The good news is you still have until May 31st to get many of the items you’d like before they’re gone, and some of them are at sale prices now!

The other news is – everything is “while supplies last only” and some things are sold out already! That’s why it’s important that you check this list now to avoid disappointment.

One thing that is always important to remember at this time of year is the retiring In Colors, so if you need anything in the 2014-2016 selections, now is the time – they sell out fast:

Here are a couple of examples made with retiring sets and accessories; if you love these as much as I do, there’s no time to wait – May 31st will soon be here:

Swallowtail with Bermuda Bay

Amazing Birthday with Melon Mambo

Here are the retiring sets and accessories used to make these two cards. Click on any picture for information and ordering!

Red and green are opposite each other on the Color Wheel, and whenever you use opposites together, it’s an attention-getter! Of course, a 10-year wedding anniversary is worthy of note, but later on in this post you’ll see why I put some green with the red & white, which we traditionally associate with love and marriage.

I also used the Happy Heart embossing folder on the background and a couple of punches; the small heart from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack, and the slender arrow from the retired What’s Up Punch. I just punched two of them and attached one to the top of the card and one to the bottom. This is a great punch, and if you don’t have one yet, you’re in luck, you can still get it on the Clearance Rack for around $10.00! But I wouldn’t wait; once they’re gone, they’re gone!

I used a sentiment from the Number of Years set to stamp “Happy Anniversary” on the front and the coordinating Large Numbers Framelits dies for the number “10.” But for the inside I computer-generated a specific message on a separate piece of Whisper White card stock using a font that complemented the lettering style of my cover sentiment.

So here’s the gift that I gave Reggie for our anniversary yesterday, commemorating our wedding location in Vermont 10 years ago:

The Milestone Anniversary card is quick and easy; you can make it in any colors that are significant to you. Here are the supplies that I used:

First my stamping colleague Suzanne Delaware messaged me with the news, then I got a call from my card-making partner and sister-in-law, Sherry Pakulski and the message was the same; two of my cards appear on page 125 in the Spring 2016 issue of Take Ten.

I actually designed these cards for the layout challenge that appeared in Take Ten’s Winter 2015 issue. However, I’m happy that they were saved for this issue since they were chosen as a Spotlight feature for the Chalkboard Technique. This is really easy to do; just use white craft ink with a bold stamp on black card stock. The stamps from the Friendly Wishes set are perfect for this type of stamping.

My grandmother, Nana, always chose the best gifts, and one year she gave me the perfect dress for my birthday. This was in the mid-1960’s, so it was kind of a Jackie Kennedy-inspired style, except made for a little girl. The thing I loved most about it was the colors – chocolate brown and cotton candy pink – and to this day I love that color combination! It brings back such happy memories.

This year I chose those colors for my husband’s Valentine card – a luscious combination reminiscent of a box of cherry chocolates!

I used the Bold Butterfly Framelits to cut out the shape, and then re-cut the butterfly with the new Bloomin’ Hearts Thinlits to get that lacy look. Accented with Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper, this is a card for someone special!

Attention to detail is important when constructing your own handcrafted cards. I lined the envelope with some complementary Designer Series Paper. I also stamped a “made by me” image on the back, signed and dated it, and finished up by tying Tip Top Taupe and Pink Pirouette ribbons around the envelope.

Here are the supplies that I used to make the Be Mine chocolate butterfly card; any of these products can be ordered online by clicking on the image.

What color combinations do you love? Do they correspond with a happy memory from your past? What ideas do you have for using these fun products?

The whole point of a swap is to get different ideas of how to use the new stamps, die cutters and other accessories that are regularly released by Stampin’ Up! I showed you my “Black, White and Red” take on the Bloomin’ Hearts Thinlits Die in my last post, and here are two more examples made by demonstrators in my group:

Mary did a beautiful job with colors and bling-y decorations on this example. The Blushing Bride, Blackberry Bliss and Whisper White card stock are a winning combination. The sparkle is provided by Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper and Sequin Trim, and rhinestones. Anyone would love to receive this Valentine from a special friend or companion!

Susan went all out by die cutting the heart from the Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper! With an intricate die such as this, there are a few tips to help you cut and remove the paper from the die.

First, make sure that your plexiglass cutting pads are flat (older ones can tend to bow or bulge) and when running the die through the Big Shot, put it to one side or the other rather than in the middle. The rollers on the sides are slightly tighter.

Next, be sure to run that die back and forth through the machine several times, moving its position on the cutting plate if necessary.

My sister-in-law Sherry also recommends putting a piece of waxed paper between the die and the card stock before cutting to help release the die cut image.

Finally, we have a new tool that helps to push out the little pieces of card stock that stick in the die after cutting, called a Big Shot Die Brush:

As die cutters become more intricate, we need ingenious tools like these to help work with more sophisticated designs!

Here are some of the supplies used on both of the Glittery Bloomin’ Hearts cards. You can order any of these new products just by clicking the picture and going to the online store: